Dr. Joy McElveen
Compassionate clinician helping find hope and practical change
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Experience
- 35 years
- Licensed in
- Louisiana, Connecticut
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Joy
Dr. Joy McElveen helps people handle stress, anxiety, grief, anger, low self-esteem, depression, addictions, relationship strain, family concerns, trauma, and big life changes. She writes and talks plainly about how emotions and thoughts shape behavior.
Her goal is to help clients find hope and small steps forward when life feels overwhelming. Joy McElveen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - LCSW with long experience in clinical work. She draws on practical therapies that teach new skills.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on real problems and clear strategies rather than abstract theory. Her approach emphasizes learning useful tools and doing the work alongside the person in therapy. She uses techniques from Dialectical Behavior Therapy - DBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT, Mindfulness, and Motivational Interviewing.
Those methods are used together to change thoughts, feelings, and actions in everyday life. Joy trained in social work at the University of Michigan and earned a doctorate from Howard University School of Social Work. She holds the LCSW credential and has practiced for 35 years in Louisiana.
Her background informs a steady, experienced style that focuses on practical coping and clearer communication. In sessions she helps people notice what gets in the way, practice new choices, and build momentum for change. The work is collaborative, paced to each person, and centered on finding hope and workable strategies for daily life.
Practical therapy approaches for online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and focus on values-driven action. It teaches how to accept difficult feelings while still moving toward what matters. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches concrete tools to change unhelpful thinking and behaviors. Dialectical Behavior Therapy - DBT emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clear interpersonal skills to manage intense feelings and improve relationships.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs. These options make it easier to practice skills between meetings and to get support without extra travel. The flexible formats help people stay consistent with therapy while fitting it into busy family and work life.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Anger management
Also works with
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 35 years
- Licensed
- Louisiana, Connecticut
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Joy
- Takes a few minutes to look through
- Nothing to set up just to read
- Stop at any point